Chewing paint and drywall

[hone]

Hi, I've recently discovered my free-roaming rabbit has been nibbling on the wall under my bed. I've had a drawer full of paper and cardboard for him there which he's enjoyed for ages, so attributed the chewing sounds to that

I've tried covering the walls around my room with paper and cardboard, but he tears it off every day so he can get to the wall. I think he likes the crunch and it doesn't help that my walls are painted green. I've had most success with placing a crunchy chew snack (which I know is not the healthiest but it's gotta be better than paint) in one area he chewed in the past and that has successfully worked in that small area. The problem is my room is big, I'm running out of cardboard and he'll chew any wall accessible.

I'm thinking this may be due to boredom. He used to roam out in the house and backyard a lot more, but my roomate unexpectedly got a kitten a few months ago and this has broken the routine he is used to. He has to be in the room 24/7 now for his safety. I'm with him a lot and he gets plenty of hay/pellets/greens. I've been giving him crunchy foods like celery, kinda racking my brain for other crunchy veggies he can have often. Tbh, I used to let him run around in the backyard until he tired himself out, so I'm wondering are there any toys/activitues that are engaging to a bunny for a long time? He's pretty smart and recognises several English words. Should I be teaching him tricks or something?

 

[Catlyn]

Tricks are a good idea to engage a rabbit with.
Cuddles and pets are also favourites, and may give your rabbit a nice nap with you. My lady Iris is seeing sweet dreams and sleeping on my arm in front of my chest as i'm typing now.
Boredom breaker toys, balls, tunnels and things with bells are also great. I've found that a number of rabbits love to make noise. Have you tried adding ''treat hay'' or ''herb mix'' into your rabbit's hay and/or toys? I have yet to meet a rabbit who wouldn't like foraging for tasty stuff. You might also get a treat roller to feed the pellets that way. Tunnels and hideaways are a wonderful thing for buns to explore.
As for protecting the walls, you might want to try wire grids- either from storage cubes, puppy pens, or rodent playpens (lower but with smaller wire gaps). If you can edit your living space more permanently, then you might even be able to attach literal rodent wire to the walls. These wires are usually sold in long rolls, come in small-squared and sturdy enough to stop rabbits from having a go at the wall. I've also read of people getting thin veneer sheets or pvc plastic sheets, or those ones used for greenhouses.

 

[Mileybun]

Miley does this occasionally. As @Catlyn has already mentioned, I used a c and c wire grid to stop her. It works really well and she doesn't bother with it now

 

[Blue eyes]

Blocking access is your best (and safest) defense against wall/paint chewing. Many options offered above.

 

[JBun]

Like mentioned, best to bunny proof.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Bunny-proofing
Here are some toy and activity ideas as well.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Toys_and_games

 

[Momma Luvbun]

I personally don't have that issue with my buns, and I attribute it to my furniture blocking the baseboards.

So my suggestion is to place furniture where bun likes to go.
Alternatively, you could get 2x4's and place them as a "boarder" around your baseboards as well as larger pieces of wood to block any cable plugs and cords.
You don't want to put anything near where you're trying to keep your bun away from (treat where bun chews the wall is counter productive)